Aaron Rausche is a veteran cybersecurity leader with over 25 years of experience guiding security strategy for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. He began his career in 1999 at Electronic Data Systems (EDS), leading encryption, and PKI initiatives for global enterprises, and has since led efforts to help protect organizations such as The Walt Disney Company, Monsanto, Kaiser Permanente, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Department of Justice. His career includes serving as Managing Director at Credant Technologies through the company’s acquisition by Dell, and at SHI International, where he led penetration testing and ethical hacking engagements for major enterprise and government clients. He also served as Managing Partner at Birch Cline Cybersecurity and currently serves as CISO for Dallas County, Texas. Aaron holds multiple industry-recognized certifications and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

A highly versatile product and technology executive, I am a dynamic and influential technology leader with a proven ability to drive innovation and deliver transformative solutions across diverse industries. I am passionate about tackling complex challenges and building high-performing teams. As an impactful leader with a proven record of delivering engineering excellence and organizational transformation, I possess an ability to cultivate leaders, streamline operations, and build strong partnerships. I am committed to delivering high-quality, secure products within an agile framework. My experience spans multiple industries in global, multi-site, onshore, nearshore, and offshore environments.

Highlights:
1. Digital Transformation & Enablement: Spearheaded digital transformation initiatives to enhance customer engagement capabilities by leveraging MarTech, data, web analytics, A/B testing, and mobile self-service. Collaborated with Product, Design, Customer Service, and Marketing departments to achieve seamless integration.
2. Innovative Dealership Experience: Re-imagined the in-dealership experience by designing the product vision and architecting SmartPath. This industry-first transformative product streamlined the sales and finance experience in dealerships.
3. IT Organizational Transformation: Transformed the IT organization and improved performance by aligning it with business goals, building strong relationships, implementing best practices, and creating high-performing teams.
4. Modernization of Financial Systems: Modernized a portfolio of mainframe financial and investment systems to a client-server architecture with a new data warehouse. This system processes over $400 billion annually and manages over $120 billion in investments for retirement, endowments, and cash assets, including the calculation and distribution of the short-term investment pool.

Georgeo Pulikkathara is a seasoned technology and cybersecurity executive with over 20 years of leadership experience across the defense, financial services, healthcare, and tech sectors. He currently serves as the CIO & CISO (G-6) and Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 81st Readiness Division, overseeing IT services and cybersecurity for over 50,000 personnel across nine states. 

A combat-decorated U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and two-time Bronze Star Medal recipient, Georgeo brings unmatched discipline and insight to enterprise security and cloud transformation. His civilian experience includes executive cybersecurity roles at DataStax, Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Avanade (Accenture), and Bank of the West. At Microsoft, he spent over 15 years, culminating in a leadership role at the Microsoft Security Response Center. 

Georgeo also provides interim CIO & CISO advisory services through GXP Security, helping U.S.-based clients complete mission-critical cybersecurity initiatives. He holds an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill, a BBA in Finance from the University of Houston, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Cybersecurity at National University. He maintains a Top Secret SCI clearance, held by less than 1% of U.S. citizens. 

Cheryl Nifong is the Chief Information Security Officer at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she oversees the Information Security Office and the University’s security program. A strategic leader with more than 20 years in the Information Security field, Cheryl has served in multiple industries including private sector, government, healthcare, and higher ed.

Cheryl is passionate about training the next generation of Cyber Security leaders and enjoys being a mentor for staff and students. In 2024, Cheryl became a DallasCISO Orbie award recipient and serves on the Inspire Leadership DallasCISO Advisory Board.

In her spare time, she loves taking long walks with her fluffy dog, writing music and spending time with her husband of 27 years and her two daughters.

Deepak Sachdeva has served as the chief information and technology officer in various companies. He directs and executes technology strategy and decisions, builds technology products, and manages technology operations, cybersecurity, and data-driven products ecosystem to bring accelerated growth rate, increase revenue, and improve customer base. Mr. Sachdeva has supervised globally distributed teams of more than 200 people and completed 12 M&A and 6 Private Equity transactions representing more than $4 billion in aggregate transaction value, including Due Diligence, Valuation, Restructuring, and post-deal Integrations.

An engineer first, an innovator, and a technology executive who reports to the CEOs and the Board of Directors. Deepak has been responsible for building strategy, technology, products, roadmap, and budgets, prioritizing technology investments linked to the company’s growth. He has established OKRs and health metrics for Digital Transformation, Data Analytics, Data Products, Machine Learning, Product Engineering, IT Infrastructure, Data Centers, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), Data Accuracy, QA, APIs, DevOps, DevSecOps, Corporate Systems, ERPs, Warehouse Management Systems, Device Management, End-User technologies, Cybersecurity, and IT Compliance. Built, hosted, and maintained Software as a service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), DaaS, B2B, and B2C products for Financial Services, FinTech, Real Estate, Lending, Home Equity, Investment Portfolios, Banking, Risk Assessment, Insurance, Airlines, Merchandising, Ecommerce, Retail, and FMCG industries. He managed over 100+ enterprise systems distributed in over 50 countries.

Regulatory experience with SEC, SOX, US GAAP, PCI DSS, SOC II, FAA, HIPPA, GLBA, FTC, CCPA, EU GDPR, and FCA UK.

Trusted advisor to CEOs and Investors on IT investments and evaluated Opportunity Costs, Revenue Potential, ROICs, IRRs, NPVs, TCOs, Payback Periods, and Value Creation. He specializes in IT and Financial due diligence, company valuations, tech platforms integrations, cost management, revenue/expense synergies, and operational efficiencies.

An engineering graduate from Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA in Finance at the Unversity of Texas, Deepak has attended the leadership and management program at Wharton Business School.

Worked for behemoths like GE, PepsiCo, Sabre, and Cisco, mid-size companies like MrCooper, Clear Capital, and Fujitsu Network, PE Funded companies and Startups with various funding stages from Series A to D

Russell Scott is an accomplished IT leader with nearly 30 years of global experience across 40+ countries. He currently serves as Chief Information Security Officer for Tarrant County, Texas, where he champions a security-first culture and spearheads cybersecurity strategy. His leadership earned Tarrant County a key role in shaping state cybersecurity legislation—highlighting his commitment to innovation and public sector excellence.

Previously, Russell served as Deputy Chief Information Officer, overseeing a team of 200+ professionals supporting 63 distinct business units. Under his direction, the department embraced an enterprise mindset, leading to improved financial performance, enhanced governance, and revitalized team morale. His modernization efforts included deploying low-code development platforms, hyper-converged infrastructure, and a bold cloud-first strategy to drive long-term resilience.

A visionary strategist, Russell designs outcome-based IT roadmaps by deeply understanding business operations and long-term goals. He has successfully led complex digital transformations, global acquisitions and divestitures, and major infrastructure deployments in widely dispersed and fast-paced environments. With a background spanning government, construction, and enterprise IT, he consistently delivers technology solutions that reduce costs, increase agility, and create tangible business value.

Russell is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He also serves as a leader in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District’s Leadership Academy and Campus Level Improvement Committee—reflecting his dedication to mentorship and community engagement.

Corrina Taylor is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at SMU’s Office of Information Technology, bringing nearly a decade of hands-on experience in cybersecurity. With a strong foundation in information assurance and a track record of building global security programs from the ground up, Corrina specializes in aligning cybersecurity with business strategy, regulatory compliance, and risk management. She holds a Master’s in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute and multiple industry certifications, including CISSP and SANS GIAC. Corrina is passionate about fostering resilient security cultures, leveraging emerging technologies, and empowering teams to stay ahead of evolving threats.

As a seasoned Chief Information Security Officer, I specialize in driving cybersecurity strategies that protect enterprise ecosystems while enabling business growth. With expertise in financial tech, healthcare, and government verticals, I have built and led robust security frameworks tailored to the unique challenges of these industries.

My approach combines strategic vision with technical insight, encompassing risk management, threat intelligence, incident response, and regulatory compliance. I excel at collaborating with stakeholders at all levels, translating complex security challenges into actionable solutions that align with organizational objectives.

Whether navigating stringent regulatory landscapes or safeguarding sensitive data, I thrive in dynamic environments where innovation, resilience, and leadership converge to ensure secure, sustainable success.

Zechariah Akinpelu is an award-winning cybersecurity executive with over 15 years of experience leading information security strategy, engineering, and operations. As the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Unity Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, Zechariah is responsible for aligning the organization’s cybersecurity strategy with business objectives, ensuring compliance with regulatory and industry standards, and managing cyber risks and incidents across the enterprise.

A highly respected thought leader in the cybersecurity community, he is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and CyberEdBoard Community, where he actively shares insights and best practices with global technology and cybersecurity leaders. In addition to his role at Unity Bank, he is also the Co-Founder of a cybersecurity startup with a presence in Nigeria and the United States, with plans to expand internationally.

With deep technical expertise in ethical hacking, penetration testing, cybersecurity architecture, threat hunting, red team operations, and cloud security, Zechariah plays a pivotal role in strengthening the security posture of Unity Bank and its clients. He also brings significant leadership in information security governance, compliance, and digital forensics.

His work has earned him multiple prestigious recognitions, including:

– Certified Ethical Hacker of the Year by EC-Council (2016)
– Certified Ethical Hacker Hall of Fame inductee (2021)
– Leader of the Year at the World CIO 200 Summit (2022 and 2023)
– CISO of the Year by Finnovex (2023)
– Top 10 Global Information Security Professional of the Year by Onconference (2024)

Zechariah holds an impressive array of certifications including CISM, CDPSE, CRISC, ECSA, CND, CCISO, ISO/IEC 27032, and ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer. He is also an alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management and holds a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity from EC-Council University.

A frequent speaker at global cybersecurity conferences and workshops, Zechariah has delivered expert insights across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His mission is to protect Unity Bank and its stakeholders from emerging cyber threats while enabling secure digital transformation and innovation.

Chris Lee serves as the Chief Information Officer for the City of Lewisville and brings over 24 years of experience in municipal information systems. With a deep passion for technology, people, and problem-solving, Chris has cultivated a strong expertise in IT governance, strategic planning, and technical leadership within the public sector. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Computer Information Systems from the University of North Texas and has earned the Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) designation from the University of North Carolina. His leadership continues to drive innovation, operational efficiency, and digital transformation across the organization.

Ryan Reynolds is an accomplished cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience driving information security transformation in the financial services sector. As Senior Vice President and Head of Cybersecurity Risk Oversight at U.S. Bank, Ryan brings a relationship-first approach to cyber risk—believing that listening, understanding, and aligning with the business are key to enabling meaningful and lasting change.

Throughout his career, Ryan has built and led diverse, high-performing security teams across multiple disciplines, including Security Consulting & Engagement, Endpoint and Network Security, Cyber Threat Management, Identity and Access Management (IAM), and Data Loss Prevention (DLP). His deep technical knowledge, coupled with a strong sense of empathy and communication, has made him a trusted advisor across both technical and executive stakeholder groups.

Known for his hands-on leadership style and ability to bridge the gap between cybersecurity and business strategy, Ryan is passionate about creating security programs that are not only robust but also aligned with the goals and culture of the organizations they protect.

Mike has spent almost 30 years in the Information Security space, with a focus in Identity and Access Management in the last 25 years.  Since 2019, he’s been leading the IAM practice at Mr. Cooper through several implementation projects including IDM governance, provisioning, and Privileged Access Management.  Hobbies include fishing, photography, and finding good food of all kinds.

As a global technology leader, Murali is driven by a passion for addressing complex challenges and delivering transformative results. In his role as Chief Enterprise Architect, he crafts robust and scalable architectures that propel enterprise success, ensuring that the technology strategies align seamlessly with core business goals.

Operating at a CTO level, he leads end-to-end technology strategies that integrate AI, data, and modern systems to drive meaningful and sustainable outcomes.

Additionally, as the Head of Innovation, he spearheads AI-powered initiatives aimed at enhancing member health outcomes. This work has garnered global recognition, including Gartner’s Innovation of the Year award for his organization, underscoring his ability to merge cutting-edge technology with impactful human benefits.

Beyond these roles, he also serves as a strategic advisor to global enterprise boards, where he helps shape innovation agendas across technology, infrastructure, and holistic wellness. His guiding philosophy is simple : to bridge vision with execution. From architecting resilient ecosystems to leveraging AI for real-world impact, his goal is to create scalable, future-forward, and sustainable solutions that drive both technological advancement and tangible human benefits.

Surya is a globally recognized leader in SAP infrastructure modernization and enterprise cybersecurity, with over two decades of experience driving transformation across hybrid landscapes—from legacy mainframes, windows and Unix systems to SAP HANA on cloud-native platforms. As the Global Head of SAP Technology Services, he leads high-performing teams across Cybersecurity, SAP Security, SAP Basis, ABAP, and Integration—delivering resilient architectures that safeguard mission-critical systems and ensure compliance in an evolving threat landscape.

Surya’s expertise in SAP Security spans vulnerability management, secure configurations, and governance frameworks that align with enterprise risk strategies. His leadership in cross-platform migrations and database transformations (DB2, Oracle, SQL Server) is underpinned by a deep commitment to building cyber-resilient SAP ecosystems that scale with business needs.

At the intersection of legacy complexity and modern resilience, Surya empowers CIOs and CXOs to future-proof their SAP environments—balancing innovation, security, and operational excellence.

Joel Lytle is an experienced information security leader with over 30 years in technology and 21 years focused specifically on cybersecurity. For the past 14 years, he has led the information security team at Jackson Walker LLP, where he oversees a NIST CSF-based security program to protect firm and client data.

His responsibilities include SOC 2 attestation, vendor risk management, security awareness training, business continuity and disaster recovery, incident response, audit support, and remediation.

Previously, Joel served as Information Security Manager for the Federal Student Aid – Virtual Data Center project at Perot Systems. In 2008, he was part of Operation Unumbeza, conducting penetration testing and security analysis to combat government fraud and corruption.

Aniket Sundriyal is a seasoned data analytics leader with over 14 years of experience designing and implementing customer-centric marketing strategies, enterprise-level reporting solutions, and machine learning–based decision systems across industries including e-commerce and banking. His expertise lies in solving complex business challenges and shaping effective organizational strategies through data-driven insights.

At Woot, an Amazon company, Aniket focuses on developing analytical and ML solutions to drive customer lifecycle strategy, enhance product discoverability, improve customer experience, and optimize product profitability.

Earlier in his career, Aniket held roles at EXL, Symphony Teleca, and Mu Sigma, where he built and deployed advanced analytics and ML solutions to address challenges such as digital transformation, customer retention, marketing campaign management, and P&L forecasting for CCAR.

Saurabh Srivastava is a forward-thinking technology leader with over 15 years of experience driving IT transformation and cloud security strategy for global enterprises, including Hilton, DXC Technology, Visteon Corporation, and Neiman Marcus. Currently serving as Director of Hybrid Cloud Security at Hilton, Saurabh leads the development and execution of innovative, enterprise-scale security programs across multi-cloud environments.

Renowned for his expertise in risk mitigation, change management, and large-scale infrastructure development, Saurabh has a proven track record of building high-performing teams and delivering secure, business-aligned solutions under demanding conditions. He is frequently recognized as a go-to expert for complex technology integrations and cross-functional collaboration.

Throughout his career, Saurabh has spearheaded initiatives that range from implementing India’s largest SAN storage system to architecting future-state cloud security environments and driving real-time risk visibility at the enterprise level. His leadership was instrumental in advancing Hilton’s cloud security maturity and shaping Visteon’s architectural standards.

Saurabh holds an impressive set of industry certifications, including Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), AWS Certified Security Specialty, and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional. His areas of specialization include cybersecurity strategy, IaaS/SaaS/PaaS, emerging technologies, stakeholder engagement, incident response, and continuous improvement.

When he’s not solving critical cloud security challenges, Saurabh enjoys exploring the unknown and embracing the freedom of discovery.

Ellen Sundra is the Vice President of Customers at Horizon3.ai, leading Customer Success, Sales Engineering, and Community Engagement. With over two decades of cybersecurity leadership experience, including her role as Chief Customer Officer at Forescout Technologies, Ellen drives customer-centric innovation and strategic growth. Ellen holds a BA in Computer Science from Rollins College and has completed Executive Leadership training at Harvard Business School. Recognized as one of the Top 25 Women in Cyber (Cyber Defense Magazine), Ellen is committed to helping organizations maximize the impact of NodeZero™ to stay ahead of security threats.

As the Chief Information Security Officer for Exabeam, Kevin is responsible for the company’s security operations center (SOC), application security (AppSec), governance risk and compliance (GRC), and physical security around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in information security, Kevin has delivered security for the likes of PepsiCo, Bank of America, and the Federal Reserve System. Kevin studied marine biology and journalism at Texas A&M University and spent six years in the US Navy, after which he settled out his education by achieving a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems.

Jamie works to empower organizations against the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. He is a leader in strategic cyber resilience, designing and delivering high-impact drills that test technical skills and critical leadership decision-making under pressure. From C-suite executives to frontline security teams, he specializes in partnering with clients to build their human firewall, strengthening their defenses against real-world attacks. The Immersive goal is not just to train, but to build a generation of cyber heroes ready for anything. At Immersive, we believe the human element is key to cyber resilience and we are proud to play a role in shaping a world that’s truly ready for what’s next in cyber.

Chad is Senior Director of Product Management for Freshservice where he develops the vision and product strategy for our core ITSM offering, and leads execution against our roadmap to bolster our position as the modern, intelligent ITSM solution for the mid-market.Prior to Freshworks, Chad led product management for the Remedyforce product (ITSM offering built on Salesforce) at BMC, as well as leading their platform and integration offerings. Prior to that, he led product management for cloud and on-prem offerings of project portfolio management solutions at Mercury/HP and Innotas. Way back, he’s held roles in implementation consulting, support, and alliances.

A seasoned technology leader with over two decades of experience guiding enterprises through large-scale cloud and digital transformation initiatives. Jon has held key leadership roles at AWS, Dell Technologies, and Accenture, bringing deep expertise in cloud strategy, infrastructure modernization, and hybrid cloud solutions. Currently, Jon serves as Senior Vice President and General Manager of US Public Cloud at Rackspace Technology, where he leads growth, customer success, and strategic execution across major hyperscale platforms. His approach is rooted in delivering innovation, clarity, and long-term value for customers navigating complex IT landscapes.

Brody Kovacs is a Senior Systems Engineer at Veeam Software, specializing in ransomware recovery, business continuity, and disaster recovery. He partners with organizations to secure and optimize SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Cloud and datacenter environments, ensuring critical data remains protected and recoverable. Leveraging Veeam’s industry-leading solutions, Brody designs resilient strategies that safeguard information and enable rapid recovery. With a passion for empowering businesses to thrive despite evolving threats, he provides expert guidance and best practices to maintain data availability and operational confidence.

As the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enterprise Infrastructure and Chief Technical Officer for the University of North Texas System, Christopher is responsible for strategy, tactics and operations of all aspects of enterprise infrastructure services including, but not limited to, public/private cloud, data center operations, compute and storage, networking, telephony, and identity and access management services utilized by all UNT System institutions.

Christopher works with leaders across the UNT System and its members institutions to provide architecture and strategic planning guidance to build, deploy and manage effective technology solutions to meet the needs of students and faculty in support of UNT System and its member institutions’ mission and strategic goals.

He is also responsible for providing the highest levels of uptime for technology systems while ensuring the helpdesks are responsive and supportive. Christopher collaborates with the Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer on annual budgeting for IT needs, manages IT assets and services across the UNT System.

Harold is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Absolute Security. Previously, he held the CISO role at several international companies, including Trellix, loanDepot, Santander Consumer, and Mr. Cooper, and occupied multiple senior positions at Citigroup. Harold leads Absolute Security’s Information Security and Information Technology organizations and manages the Customer Zero program, which provides customer feedback to guide the product roadmap.

Troy Tribe is a veteran cybersecurity executive, advisor, and investor who has spent his career helping security leaders solve their most pressing challenges—driving innovation, scaling adoption, and aligning solutions to enterprise risk priorities. He has been instrumental in guiding multiple venture-backed companies through high-growth phases, shaping products and go-to-market strategies that directly addressed CISO needs around resilience, risk reduction, and operational efficiency. Troy’s leadership has contributed to the success of several landmark security companies—including Shape Security, Area 1 Security, Solera Networks, and others—that went on to be acquired by industry leaders such as F5 Networks, Cloudflare, Symantec, and Netskope. With a unique perspective at the intersection of security operations, market trends, and executive strategy, Troy is recognized as a trusted partner and thought leader to CISOs navigating today’s complex threat and business landscape.